L BRARY OF CONGRESS 



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LioKAKY OF CONGRESS 



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HoUinger 

pH8.5 

Mill Run F3.1955 



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THE liESSIAN PRISON CAMP. 
Reading, Pennsylvania, 
1776-1783. 

Proceedings attending presentation of 
Gold Wedal at the Girls' High School by 
Mrs. DeB, Randolph Keim, 
on 
Washington's Birthday, 
February 22, 1910. 



CONTENTS. 

-oOo- 

Mrs. De B. Randolph Keim, Regent, Berks 
County (Reading) Pennsylvaiiia Chapter 
and Honorary Vice President National 
Society D. A. R, 

Hov; we kept the Hessians on our mountain 
side, 






FrontispiB ce. 



Mrs. Keim's Washington's Birthday address 
on presenting the Chapter Gold Medal to 
the Girls' High School winner of the 
prize for the best essay upon an American 
Revolution subject, 



Miss S. Helen Ahren's Prize Essay, 



19 



Wellington Bertolet's Adttress, 



45 



Judge Stephens' Remarks, 



47 



Comments, 



49 



Mfk 



'^OfVuV^iL ft. ftylWA/TN-u 



J. 




Mrs. Randolph Keim. 



Oa;/^' 



^ 




W[ KEPT 
THE HESSIANS 

ON OUR MOUNTAIN SIDE 



wfRS. KEIM TELLS OF DARK DAYS 
OF REVOLUTION, WHEN OVER 
1000 HIRED SOLDIERS LIVED 
!N HUTS ON MT. PENN— CON- 
GRESS SHOULD TAKE NOTICE. 




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THE READING HERALD 

w/,, . .... Establislied 1881. 

WILLIAM Mccormick . c^-x 

Editor and Proprietor 

c^_ --_^ HER ALD BUILDIKO 13 N. 5TH ST. 




READrXc;. PA.. FEBRUARY i'2, 



1910. 



At ^he GiFls' High School this morn- 
ing, Jdre. I>eB. Randolph Keim made 
a stirring address on the part that 

Reading played in the RevoluUon. She 
said: 

As we gather in commemorative 
celebration of the birth of the hero of 
heroes to whom we owe the liberty and 
Independence of this great republic it 
lis remarkable that the event has no 
recognition by enactment of the 
American Congress. 
I Of all the governments of the world 
the United States is the only one 
without a distinctively National holi- 
day made so by royal order or statute 
Notwithstanding the festive occasions 
we enjoy in the course of the year not ' 
®r", *^%\Fo"rth of July, the day of 
all days in our National calendar Is 
made an occasion of observance ' by 
National legislation. 



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It does seem that the patriotic spirit 
of the American people should see that 
formal statutory recognition be griven 
to events like the birth of Washing- 
ton and the Declaration of Indepen- 
dence but the composite form of our 
government and partisan harping upon 
constitutional abstractions would prob- 
ably interpose obstacles and contro- 
versy which the people of continental 
United States have removed by giving 
these patriotic assemblies the prestige 
of state law and universal consent. 
Each state, however, has its own holi- 
days under its own laws 
ALL THE STATES OBSERVE IT. 
Although thus limited in our own 
particular enjoyment of this happy 
occasion 45 other states, the Federal 
District and two territories are with 
us in a spontaneous outburst of 
patriotic fervor signalizing the destiny 
shaping event associated with the 
birth of George Washington, a son of 
the old Dominion and common heritage 
of us all. 

This assemblage of youth and beauty 
and their elders as witnesses of their 
advance in education and true Ameri- 
can spirit shows that the beacon of 
' patriotism is ablaze in the schools, 
among the people of Reading and 
upon^ every hlU-top of Berks. 

In the preliminaries of war with the 

crown, Berks was In the front rank, 

sending six deputies to represent it in 

the provincial meeting at Philadelphia 

I on July 15, 1774, about nine months be- 

' fore the Lexington clash of arms. 

BERKS TO THE FRONT. 

* When he took command in July, 1775, 

of the unorganized fighting material 

besieging Boston, Washington was 43 

years of age. As I have shown upon 

I a former occasion the spirit of the in- 

) dependence of Berks was represented 

on the battle front within 15 days of his 

! assuming command by report of George 

I Nagle's company of Riflemen, where 

■ they acted as sharp-shooters picking 

off British officers to such an extent 

that they became the pride of the 

army. 






In all the activities of war which 
followed Berks county and Reading 
were important factors. Although 
never within the area of actual fight- 
ing they were decidedly within the 
sphere of Influence which contributed 
substantially to results. Something 
has been said along this line in a local 
way but let us see what the Continen- 
tal Congress had to say. The Journal 
of that body on Feb. 19, 1776, five and 
a half months before the Declaration 
of Independence entered upon Its min- 
utes an indebtedness of 11 pounds, 14 
shillings and 6 pence due to the com- 
mittee of Berks county for provisions, 
ammunition, etc., furnished the rifle 
companies. 

On the 30th of the same 
month $900 were advanced to Captain 
Nelson's company of rifles on their 
march to Reading on the way to Al- 
bany for service in Canada where they 
were to join a regiment. An additional 
$700 was sent to the committee of In- 
spection at Reading with orders to pay 
one month's wages to non-commission- 
ed officers and soldiers of that com- 
pany upon their arrival at Reading. 
PRISONERS SENT TO READING. 

On Feb. 6, 1776, the Continental Con- 
gress mentions a letter announcing the 
arrival of a number of prisoners at 
Reading and' a request to know how 
they were to be supported. The next 
day a committee of Congress had a 
conference with David Franks about 
victualling the king's troops lately 
brought to Reading. In order to com- 
ply Franks was authorized to sell his 
bills for that purpose. 

On the 28th of the same month Con- 
gress, by resolution, authorized the 
committee of inspection and observation 
of Berks county In Pennsylvania to 
contract for the subsietence of prison- 
ers in Reading not supplied by Pranks 
together with the women and children 
belonging to all the prisoners there. 
Also to supplj' them with firewood and 

other things absolutely ni 
their support. _ 



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The foUowir\g- M^y the commlttl^^^ 
Berks county was charged by CongT^i' 
with $758 for mllltarv purposes. ^ 

WANTED MORE OF OUR TROOPS. 

In July Congress passed a resolution ■ 
asking the committee of BerKs to hast- 
en the march of troops to the front 
with power to muster them and draw 
one month's pay. * 

Owing to the reverses around New 
York and retreat across New Jersey the 
occupation of Philadelphia by the 
enemy being threatened on July 10, 
1776, Congress ordered all prisoners of 
war In the town of Reading to be re- 
moved to Lancaster for greater se- 
curity. 

Realizing the importance of a master 
stroke of arms in order to keep his 
army together and revive the courage 
of the people, much disheartened by 
the events of the year, Washington 
suddenly crossed the Delaware on 
Christmas night of 1776 in a wild 
storm of snow and drifting ice with 
2400 Continentals, and surprised 1200 
Hessians at Trenton, New Jersey, 
while Rail, their commander, and a 
party of friends were enjoying an all- 
night bout of wine drinking and cards. 
The surrender to Washington of over 
1000 Hessians and death of Rail was 
accomplished with the loss of but two 
soldiers killed and two frozen. 

HESSIANS WERE SENT HERE. 

The Hessians taken at Trenton, in 
order to prevent being recovered by 
the British, who were in force at 
Princeton and points nearby, wer^ con- 
ducted by Washington on his return 
march for the Pennsylvania side of the 
Delaware and for their better security 
were sent under guard to the interior. 
The entire captured force comprised 
750 soldiers, one lieutenant colonel, 
two majors, four captains and 15 sub- 
alterns, besides material of war, three 
standards, six cannon and 1000 stands 
of arms. 

These Hessian prisoners were first 
marched to Lancaster, whence they 
were sent to Reading and placed in 
prison barracks under guard in the 
Vuthern part of the town. On April 



rm-wM 



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»6, 1777, the Continental Congress re- 
iHJrted due John Biddle $955 for week- 
ly allowance paid to officers and men 
prisoners of war and their women and 
children at Reading, at the rate of ten 
pence per ration. 

LAID UP STORES FOR ARMY. 
In February of the following year 
Congress, deeming it expedient and 
necessary to lay up magazines of pro- 
visions for the support of the army, 
directed eight thousand barrels of 
flour to be deiposited at or near Read- 
ing. Under this requisition, the As- 
sembly of Pennsylvania appointed 
commissioners in Berks to purchase 
or seize wheat flour and other pro- 
visions. In March, 1778, the Conti- 
nental Congress requested the govern- 
ment of Pennsylvania to station 500 
militia, under active and prudent of- 
ficers, 200 of whom were placed at 
Reading for the defense of the maga- 
zines and other stores, and to hold 
themselves in communication with the 
main army and secure from sudden in- 
cursion of the enemy until the board 
of war or General Washington could 
discharge them. 

Although Reading had the care of 
prisoners of war and furnished the 
prison guard from among Its own citi- 
zens from the beginning of military 
operations, the Hessians captured at 
Ttenton were the first in large num- 
bers sent there for safety. At one 
time the Continental stable at Read- 
ing, a structure about 175 feet long 
and 20 wide, with a store house ad- 
joining almost as large, were suggest- 
ed for prison barracks, but the an- 
noyance of such a large body of cap- 
tured Hessians in the town led to a 
proposition from President Reed, of 
Pennsylvania, that huts be built and 
a prison camip established a short dist- 
ance from Reading, where wood and 
water were convenient, 

CAMP MADE ON MT. PENN. 

Colonel Morgan is mentioned as 
having urged a piece of ground which 
had belonged to the Proprietaries. This 
led to the selection of the tract about 



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a nait mile east of the town, on the 
southern declivity of now Mount Penn. 
where huts were erected, to which the 
prisoners were removed and a guard 
stationed over them^ 

In 1780 the prisoners of war at 
Reading, nearly all Hessians^rmmber- 
ed 100. In the summer of T^f\., 1100, 
all Hessians except 63 Emglish, were 
delivered at Reading, and six com- 
panies of the enrolled militia of Berks 
were called out as guard. 

At the surrender of the British army 
at Torktown, Virginia, 1921 Hessians 
were among the 8100 prisoners of war 
captured. Washington sent the entire 
force, under strong escort, to Fred- 
erick, Md., and soon after to Lancas- 
ter. A number of these Hessians were 
transfered to the prison camp at Mt. 
Penn, Reading. 
RcPT HERE TMlL WAR ENDED. 

In February, "l^fi, the county lieu- 
tenant of Berks was ordered to call 
out the first class of county m.ilitia to 
guard them. TTie camp was maintain- 
ed until the final determination of 
peace in 1783 and the last foreign sol- 
diers had left the soil of the free ^nd 
independent United States of America. 

As late as 1841 many of the prison 
huts of the Hessians were standing. 
This Interesting sipot is to this day 
known as the "Hessian Camp." As 
the Congress of the United States has 
now before it a bill for the building 
of two memorial arches at Valley 
Forge, at a cost of $50,000, 'it would 
be very proper to make proper re- 
cognition, in some suitable way, of the 
services of the citizens of Reading in 
forming, out of their own number, a 
guard sufficient to secure more than 
1100 prisoners of the army taken In 
battle and covering a period of seven 
long years. 



17^ 



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,tSSAY THAT 
^ W£PRIZE 

IS THAT Of MISS AHRENS 



SHE GIVES AN INTERESTING 
STORY OF THE PART PLAYED 
BY INDIANS IN REVOLUTION 
AND OF THE BLOODSHED THEY 
CAUSED TO THE AMERICANS. 



Miss Helen Ahrens wrote the prize- 
winning essay in the D. A. PL contest 
at the Girls' High School yesterday. 
It is as foUows: 

As the French formed an alliance 
with the Indians during the war of 
1755, so now the British sought an 
alliance with those whom twenty years 
before they attempted to destroy. The 
American colonists feared this union, 
for they knew the nature of Indian 
warfare. 

They knew that an Indian was not 
a brave, open fighter, but a cowardly, 
treacherous one; he would lie in con- 
cealment for days, sometimes for 
weeks, awaiting a chance of shooting 
his foe unseen, rather than forming 
into ranks and fighting face to face. 
With him a flame of hatred was quick 
to kindle the fire of revenge; and as 
every white man knew, an Indian, once 
aroused, was untiring in seeking the 
destruction of his enemies and merci- 
less in dealing with his captives. 



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\ INDIANS LOVED WAR. '"** 

In this struggle between the Ameri- 
can Colonies and their mother country, 
the Indians should have, of course, re- 
mained neutral. The quarrel did not 
concern them. But they loved war. 
To an Indian war was a delight, an 
accomplishment, and even more than 
that; it was the very source of all 
things honorabla and glorious. Yet in 
the first year of the Revolution the 
Indians were not especially active. It 
may have been that they were unde- 
cided, for appeals were constantly be- 
ing made to them from both sides. 

The Americans were the first to 
realize the important part which the 
Iroquois might play if the quarrel 
came to a clash of arms. Even be- 
fore the battle of Lexington, the Pro- 
vincial Congress of Massachusetts 
formed a company of Stockbridge In- 
dians as minute-men. They also made 
an address to the Mohawkee, request- 
ing them to "whet the hatchet" for 
war .ag.^inst the English. 

TRIED TO HIRE INDIANS. 
The Continental Congress, too, de- 
clared it "highly expedient to engage 
Indians in the services of the United 
Colonies." Authority was conferred 
upon Washington to emplov 2000 In- 
, dians in Canada; the Six Nations were 
I to be engaged upon the best terms pos- 
sible; and instructions for devising 
ways and means were a^iven to the 
committee on Indian affairs. 

Up to this time the English seemed 
reluctant to make use of the savages; 
but declaring that they were simply 
following the example of the colonies, 
by June, 1775, the British agent, Sir 
, William Johnson, was already winning 
over the powerful Six Nations. In an 
address to the Indians, Halimond said: 
"Now is the time for you to help the 
King. The war has begtm. Assist the 
King now and you will find it to your 
advantage. 

ACTS OF PROVIDENCE. 

"Go now and fight for your posses- 
sions and whatever you lose of your 



f?*??*^* 



n V' r-'"j<;T'''- 



property during tne war, the King winT 
make up to you when peace returrts." , 
George III and his ministers, more 
than any other Englishmen, favored I 
this plan of engaging the services of I 
the Indians. "His majesty." one of his i 
advisers said, "wishes to talce advant- ' 
age of every means which Providence 
places in his hands." Evidently he 
considered the wholesale slaughter of 
innocent women and children the 
burning the their homes and the de- 
N-astation of property, acts of Provi- 
''ence. 

Very soon the employment of In- 
aians was undisguised on both sides. 
In the colonies Schuyler was made the 
head of the Indian commission which 
tried to counteract Johnson's influence 
with the Indians. They convened a 
council at which five hundred Indians, 
I finely dressed, were present. Gifts 
I were distributed among them and they 
agreed not to take up arms for either 
Bide. 

BRITISH WON THEM. 

Four other tribes, in an address to 
the President of Congress, said that 
they hoped a state of friendship might 
continue as long as the sun shall 
shine and the waters run." Yet the 
British, by promi.ses of magnificent re- 
wards, succeeded in winning for them- 
I selves the majority of the Indian 
[forces. They maintained that the In- 
ifllans adhered to them because of a 
(personal attachment to the Johnson's 
and an earnest loyalty to the crown- 
the Americans Insisted It was becaus4 
Of a selfish desire to support the side 
on which there was most to gain and 
least to lose. 

The English ministry had great 
hopes of its Indian allies, who were to 
play an important part in Burgoyne's 
Invasion, spreading death and terror 
along the line of march. The King 
himself insisted that no restraint be 
put upon the natural impulses of the 
red men; and they were even encour- 
aged in their bloody work, for the 
British government paid for every 
scalp they secured. ^ Burgoyne. how- 
ever, was not ouite so barharo'us. 



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SCALPED THEIR ENEMIES'! 

thS ^"•""'^nded them not to scalo 

their o d wav anfl -n,,^"!. ^ ^" 

Into their service, protesslnff to be IhtJ 

xr';s ;.^a7„o?i.rreiir "- 

upon them. This feeHnl of h? T! 
;as he.^htened by ata"t1,etic t I^et 
^vhich occurred Just at this tlmV" "I 
beautiful youn^ woman. Jane McCre^ 
enraged in marriage to a member „; 
.Bur^oyne's army, was on hTr waT f^ 
Join her love, when she was klllld nn^ ' 

Wi?u'"^ '""' °' Indians'" nd Tr 
, "t^Hl'i"! tresses carried Into th,. 

British camp as a trophy." 

INDIANS MAKE TROUBLE. 

Disturbances were experienced at 
times all along the frontier, but until 
l'79 afairs were not serious. Now 
how-ever, the Indians plunged into the 
conflict m earnest. They began to 
concentrate their forces in the valley 
of Wyoming. Rumor after rumor 
reached the settlers that the Indians 
were preparing an attack. They re- 

fhf !^M,'''^^*^.^°"^''"^^ *« ««n<i home 
the soldiers who were absent in the 

eaTh Umf ^^"^^' *^"^ ^^''^ '"-^"^ed 
One day two Indian spies came to' 
I^fn -^h' P^^t«"<S'ns a visit of friend- ' 
1,7 ^' . u ^?' '^^'■^ stispected and close- 
gav^Sf •-,,^" °^^ companion of one 
gave the Indian so much drink that his 
tongue was loosened and all their plans 
revealed. People in the outer settle! 

of the soldiers sent messengers begging 
them to come home. Still Congress 
could not let the companies ^ongresa 



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PEOPLE WERE BUTCHERED. 

Now came the attack on the little 

band of old men and boys and the few 

soldiers left, made by a number of 

, Tories with a large force of Seneca 

1 warriors, commanded by the Tory leadi 

er, John Butler, a man as merciless as 

. the most ferocious of the Indians. For 

I a time the defenders bravely kept up 

Uhe unevenly matched struggle, but at 

a critical moment they were Uirown 
/into confusion by a mistaken order; 
then a sudden charge of the Indians- 
caused a panic. Women and children, 
I seeing' the disaster that had overtaken 
I the soldiers, fled to the woods and' 
mountains, many of them dying of 
starvation. The retreating army 

pressed towards the river. A few- 
swam to safety. Others were shot 
down In the wkter. Many were lured 
to the shore by the promise of quarter 
and then butchered. 

There were several narrow escapes. 
One man running through the woods, 
pursued by Indians, crept into the 
trunk of a hollow tree lying on the 
ground. Immediately a spider began 
weaving its web over the opening. The 
lidians came up and sat down on the 
log. One even stooped to look inside, 
but the spider's web satisfied him that 
nobody had passed within and he did 
not inve.stigate further. 

GIRL RAISED Hi CAPTORS. 
One of the captives taken during the 
massacre was a little girl whose broth- 
ers .survived the dreadful day. They 

I often wondered concerning her fate. 
Sixty years passed by, the brothers 
had become wealthy men, when they 
heard that a captive woman was liv- 

, ing with Indians in the far away Illi- i 
nois country. They traveled thither ! 

I mquired for her and recognized their 

jong lost sister. She was invited to 

In'lndi^^'V.'^^"'' '^' l^o^ing only | 
Tr^ated^she £ ^"'l^^^^»^^ been kindly 
created, she desired to spend her last 
days with her captors. I 



^/ 



uiher sections besides Wyoming suf?' 
fared. Urged by British agents, who 
stopped at nothing, the savages struck 
whenever opportunity offered. Joseph 
Brant, the famous Mohawlc chieftain, 
a relative by blood of Johnson, prom- 
ised to aid the English, and true to his 
promise, gave valuable assistance. 
BURNED THE SETTLEMENTS. 

In November during a driving snow 
storm, a force of Tories, under Walter 
Butler and Indians under Brant, de- 
scended upon Cherry Valley, which 
was unprepared for defence. Sixteen 
soldiers were put to death and twice as 
many women and children. Forty 
were taken prisoners and led, only 
half clad, on a long march through a 
bitterly cold storm, suffering untold 
misery. Following this attack, the In- 
dians burned the settlement of Lax- 
awaxen, besides other houses in the 
Delaware Valley, and appeared on the 
Mohawk, killing and ■ capturing a few 
there. 

To punish the atrocities of the In- 
dians at Wyoming and other places, 
Sullivan was sent into the Indian 
country in center New York against 
the Iroquois or Six Nations, nearly all 
of whom had been guilts^ of frightful 
outrages. In August, 1779, the battle 

of Newton was fought between SuUi- / 
van's army and the Ii'oquois under* 
Brant. 

FOUGHT LIKE VETERANS. 

Fire was opened by Sullivan's artil- 
lery, a form of warefare especially ter- 
rible to an Indian, for whom the noise 
of a cannon had exceptional horrors, 
|Brant's conduct in this conflict was 
worthy of great praise. Such was the* 
commanding presence of the great 
Iroquois captain, and such the confi- j 
dence he inspired, that his undisci- | 
plined warriors fought like veterans, I 
as shot went whizzing through the tree 1 
tops and ploughing the earth beneath" j 
them. 

At last the Indians' were forced from 
^behind the rocks and ti-ees where t t^ y i 



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had fortified themselves, but uiidSTj 
Brant's skillful leadei-ship, made a I 
hasty retreat and were saved from de- 
struction. Sullivan now burned more 
than forty Indian villages, destroyed 
, the Indian power and laid waste the 
harvest fields so ruthlessly that what 
had once been a fertile and well-cul- 
tivated country, was now a dreary 
desert. 

LASTED TO END OF WAR. 

During the next year of the war, 
' 1780, the Indians descended on the 
I frontier again and again, leaving It 
as desolate as their own land had been. 
' The main war scenes were centered In 

bu^ J!?°/if''*' ^"*^ Schoharie Valleys; 

but all these are not by any means fhA I 

only struggles in which thTSdilns ' 

were participants. Those raids inva- 

,s>ons and battles would be far too 

, numerous to mention here, for up to 

Zvirt^" °' '^^ ^^ ^^^ I"^^a»° 
I Sun;.''"'' ^"'•^^ «^"«^»">' and 

S th! T ^^^^^"taere by the employment 

ma ned ? '^?'- '^''^ """^'^«'* ^^ich re- 
mained loyal to them, only 230, wag so 

Jor hu '^ '"^'^^ ^"' ""'« difference 
For this reason, authors generally omU 
the part played by the Indians onThe 
t^Vl^ ''^' ''^'"^ '^^ Revolution! 

enTW.'^ the English it was differ- 
ent They could use their larg« force 
of Indians, nearly 1600, to the freateS 
advantage, for they were in the enemy's 

j country. The natural impulse o? the 
red men to murder and scalp, burn and 
devasrtate, wherever they went could 
injure only the colonists. YerEngla" d 

[showed the basest ingratitude to her 
savage allies. The magniflcant prom- 
ises made at the beginning of the w^r 
were not fulfilled, and no sooner was 
the war ended, than she lost all inS 

fest in those who had aided her so weH 
SATISFIED WITH BLOODSHED I 
The Indians had fully «atisl^ed their 
cravings for active warfare in this inn I 
struggle.jad now, reduced in n'SmSf I 



\ 



and suffering severe losses, but stiU 
dauntless and undismayed, they re- 
turned to their homes, some to bulW 
anew the villages and huts and restore 
the crops among which the ravages of 
^war had worked such havoc, others to 
'resume their more peaceful labors and 
hunting sports, or to follow more close- 
ly in the foot steps of their neighbors, 
'the white men. 



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A MODEL CITY 

WASHINGTON MADE ONE 



MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO— IT 
IS NOT TOO LATE FOR READING 
TO RISE TO THE OCCASION— 
MR. BERT,>LET MAKES AP- 
PEAL FOR A BETTER TOWN. 



At the Girls' High School celebra- 
day Wellington M. Bertolet drew a 
splendid lesson from George Washing- 




Wellington M. Bertolet. 



tion of Washington's Birthday yester- 
ton and applied It to Reading, His 
aauress in full was as follows: 

We Americans have faith in great 
men. A century of history hag pro- 
duced for us a list of great names 
that a nation thrice as old would be 
I prpud of. To appreciate and publicly 
)to honor our national heroes has be- 
I come a distinct and proper part of our 
I education. And yet, perfect faith and 
the most devout hero worship will bear 
but scubby fruit unless rooted in such 
detailed study of the acts and thousrhts 
of the men we worship as will liberate 
and enliven our own sleepine: minds. 
HERO WORSHIP A FARCE. 
The general idea of greatness is. of 
course, inspiring, but if we want really 
to profit by the life of a great man, we 
must become industrious diggers into 
the details of his life. There we shall 
often be surprised and delighted to 
find acts done and thoughts expressed 
that just fit our own purposes. Under 
the guidance of our heroes we are filled 
with confidence and we advance. When 
this happens our faith is justified and 
immensely profitable. If it does not 
happen, we find ourselves looking up 
to a few heroes surrounded by a world 
of "unheroes," and hero-worship be- 
comes a pitiable farce. 
j This birthday that we are celebrat- 
iing finds the progressive portion of 
the citizens of Reading deeply inter- 
ested in the development of a healthier 
and more beautiful city. We are tir- 
ing of a vista of red roofs; narrow, 
filthy, nauseating streets; public build- 
ings—the Library, City Hall, Court 
House, this school — choked by adjoin- 
ing buildings. We are tiring of seeing 
children chased like little criminals 
from the streets, their only play- 
grounds. 

TiRED OF UNPLEASANT THINGS. 
We are tiring of everything that 
makes our city unpleasant and un- 
healthy to live in. In this mode, is it 
not encouraging to find that the man 
we honor today selected the site and 
personally approved the plans of the 



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model city of this country and one oi 
the most beautiful in the world? 

The founding of our Federal capitol 
is an interesting chapter in American 
history, too hastily disposed of in 
school histories by the phrase, "The 
capitol was removed from Philadelphia 
to Washington." As a matter of fact 
the planning of the city and the build- 
ing of the first capitol was so thor- 
onehly and wisely done that we cannot 
afford to pass it by without close 
study. 

With the government organized and 
Philadelphia considered only a tempor- 
ary Federal home, Washington became 
Intensely interested in the selection of 
a permanent capitoL He^ naturally I 

turned to the low hills along th^ Po- 
tomac, ground where he had hunted 
and surveyed as a youth. 

EVEN READING WANTED IT. 

He persuaded Jefferson of the great 
possibilities of the location, pictured 
the capitol surrounded by an amphi- 
theatre of hills with the Potomac at 
its feet, and finally won congressional 
approval of the site. This was not ac- 
complished, however, without a long 
and trying fight. Pennsylvania wanted 
the capitol at Philadelphia; New York 
at Ngw York; Massachuset|;s at Bos- 
ton. Ipur own Mr. Keim is authority 
for the fact that the citizens of Read- 
ing presented a petition to Congress 
asking that the Federal capital be lo- 
cated here. \ 

But Washington's judgment in es- 
tablishing it away from commercial in- 
terests and influences of the larger 
cities has certainly been vindicated. 

With the site chosen Washington at 
once called upon Pierre Charles L'En- 
fants, a noted French architect, 
who came to America with Lafayette. 
Under Washington's personal super- 
vision this Frenchman drew plans for 
the city. He avoided the chess-board 
effect, so rigidly adherred to in most 
of our cities, by cutting broad avenues 
all converging at the plot set apart 
for the capitol building. 

WASHINGTON AT HEAD. 

He provided public parks in varliyjg^ 



<f/. 



parts of the city, and these parks to- 
day are just where L'E^nfants placed 
them In his plans In 1791. The actual 
laying- out of the city and .^he con- 
struction of the first capitol building 
was done under the supervision of 
three commissioners,, but Washing-ton 
was in constant touch with the work, 
and his many letters to the commis- 
sioners and trips to the Federal city 
show what a keen interest he took in 
it. 

On September 18, 1793, Washington 
as President and as a past master of 
the Masonic order, laid his hand on 
the foundation of the first capitol, a 
building of marvelous grandeur, sim- 
plicity and convenience, suggested by 
the purest of all architectu/^, *hfi 
Parthenon. / 

It typified the noble simplltlty and 
strength of the American people at 
that time when they must have rea- 
lized that to perpetuate the i' \(;rn- 
ment they must build solidly a:,c -ell. 
Washington, despite the al.«orbing 
duties of his office, found time jjerson- 
ally to oversee the construction of the 
capitol building. Every chance *}e got,t 
he slipped over to the Fede?'i;V city 
and viewed the work, with all thu in- 
terest of a man building his firsi, house. 
NEVER SAW IT FINISHED. 

He pressed for an early completion, 
saying, "It Is the progress nt that 
building that is to inspire or depress 
public confidence." Unfortunately, 

when he last beheld the city shortly 
before his death in 1799, the capitol 
was unfinished, but he had laid his 
plans so well that it rose as- a model 
of thoroughness, foresight, judgment 
and genius in city building that is a i 
credit to the whole nation. ! 

A century ago Washington provided j 
for the Federal city public parks and 



wide streets that we of Reading are 
now demanding. When the city of 
Washington wanted playgrounds for 
its children, spacious lotp for its public 
buildings, it found themvon L'Enfantes' 
plan. ' _«. 



n 



. When the city of Reading wants f 
playgrounds for its children or Vi^cant 
lots around its public buildings, it is , 
confronted by petty political con- 
siderations, lagging charity and much 
discour igenient from the very sources i 
that control the immediate situation- 
all difficulties which strongly organizea 
public sp'TTiment alone can overcome, 
WOMEN CAN DO MUCH. 
In creating public sentiment not only 
with the capacity, but with the energy 
to bring about civic improvement, I 
can think of no more certain influence 
than that of the women of our city, 
especially the young active women. 

Women have a way of getting what 
they want by some secret process un- 
known to men. If they don't get it, 
it's because they don't want it hard 
enough. I wish they would all want 
clean, broad and well-paved streets. I 
wish they would all want a new library, 
a new court house and a new city hall. 
If they really want these things and 
make their wants publicly known, the 
' men who have the great privilege of 
representing us in our electoral bodies 
will soon acquiesce and public senti- 
ment will be marshalled beyond denial. 
A SERIOUS HANDICAP. 
Of course we start with a serious 
handicap. We have lived together so 
long that we have grown to be like 
each other. It seems to be pretty well 
recognized that many years of com- 
panionship not only make huusband 
and wife think alike, but actually look 
alike. At the present time the people 
of Reading are certainly afflicted with 
a sameness of thought, at least, to a 
remarkable degree— a thought willing 
to tolerate civic backwardness. If we 
■ keep on living together in this mode we 
\ shall not only grow alike in our 
thoughts, but we shall all melt into a 
lump of capacity without energy. 
\ Our problem is to avoid this lump 
' by communing with great men so that 
we too may take on greatness of 
tl.ought and manner. 



V 



4^57 



MEDAllon 
MISS AURENS 

SHE WRITES BEST ESSAY 

ON HISTORICAL SUBJECT AND IS 
PRESENTED WITH GOLD MEDAL 
BY BERKS D. A. R.— PLAN TO 
MARK AN HISTORIC LOCAL 
SPOT IS ALSO ANNOUNCED. 



Despite unfavorable weather condi- 
tions, scores of patriotic and public 
spirited citizens flocked to the High 
School for Girls to attend the D. A. 
R. exercises in honor of the birthday 
anniversary of the "Father of Our 
Country," this morning. 

The meeting was opened wifh prayer 
by Rev. William E. Harr. The entire 
school then joined their voices in sing- 
ing "Speed* Our Republic." Miss Rose 
C. Kessler then favored the audience 
with the piano solo "Llebestraum," by 
Liszt and "Pasquinade," by Gottschalk. 
Miss Ethel Staples then followed with 
a vocal solo, "The Flower of Dum- 
blane." "Impromptu in A flat," by 
Schubert was rendered by Miss Carrie 
M. Cramp. 

Here Miss Mayer, principal of the 
Girls' High School, introduced Well- 
ington M. Bertolet as the speaker of 
the day. He spoke in part as follows: 
TAUGHT US FAITH. 

"During the past 14 years the D. A. 
R. of Berks county has taught us -how 
to have great faith in our noble men. 



^« 




^/. 



We have many great heroes and grear- 
ness in itself is an incentive to faith. 
But this greatness Is increased all the 
more by learning completely the facts 
of history surrounding these men. 

"We are now in the presence Qf a 
movement which clamors for a better, 
cleaner citj'. We are tiring of the 
narrow streets, tiring of children 
being chased out of the streets, their 
only playground. 

"Washington was an advocate of the 
noble and beautiful in homes and 
public buildings. He supervised the 
building of the capitol at Washington, 
one of the most beautiful buildings in 
the country. He chose the site — the 
hills along the Potomac. 

MADE THINGS BEAUTIFUL. 

"On Sept. 18, 1793, Washington laid 
his hand on the foundation of the 
first capitol building in this country. 
It was a noble building, modeled after 
the Parthenon. Playgrounds were pro- 
vided for the children and everything 
was In good order. 

"When we of Reading want play- 
grounds we are confronted with petty 
political fusses, with parsimonious 
charity and with numerous other 
drawbacks. We must appeal to the 
women in this work. The women al- 
ways seem, in some way or other, to 
be able to get whatever they want. 
But probably they are not interested 
enough in the work. We have lived 
so long together in Reading that we 
have grown to be like each other. We 
fail to realize our needs. 

"Now let us commune with great men 
like Washington and endeavor to take 
on the greatness of their thought and 
manner." 

The Girls' High School chorus then 
rendered "Be Glad Lass and Lad," by 
Gumbert. Two more numbers were 
demanded of them by the audience. 

THE ESSAY WINNERS. s,,^ 

Hon. William Kerper Stevens was 
then introduced as the chairman of the 
examining committee in the prisse es- 
say contest held by the D. A. R. He 



commended highly the efficiency's!^ 
the essays and congratulated the m«n- 
bera of the faculty to whom much of 
the credit for the good showing in 
the contest was due. He then an- 
nounced that essay No. 4 was adjudg- 
ed best and essay No. 6- was given hon- 
orable mention. 

Miss Sara Spang Miller then ren- 
dered "A Liove Song" by Roma, and 
"Rockln' in de Wind," by Neidlinger. 
•She was ably accompanied by Miss 
Elsie Hansen. ^^ 

Mrs. DeB. Randolph Keim, regent ^ 
the Berks County Chapter, D. A. R., 
then told of the history of the chapter. 
She said that it was sixth in point of 
organization in the United States. Ever 
since its beginning it has been doing 
things. 

"The society has been organized to 
recognize the work and perpetuate the 
memory of the foremothers of our 
country. In searching history we can 
find records of splendid heroism on 
the part of our foremothers." 

HESSIAN CAMP MEMORIAL. \ 

She then said that the chapter pro- 
posed erecting a memorial at the Hes- 
sian camp the historic landmark on 
Mt. Penn. This will be done within, 
a year from now. 

Mrs. Keim's admirable historical 
sketch appears elsewhere. 

Mrs. Keim then Introduced Miss S. 
Helen Ahrens, contestant No. 4, and 
presented her with the D. A. R. medal. 
Miss Elizabeth Van Haagen proved to 
be contestant No. 6. The other con- 
testants were Misses Sarah Lins, 
Ruth N. Moyer, Francina Kurta and 
Bertha Stoudt. 

The prize essay was read by Miss 
Ahrens who was followed by Miss Van 
Haagen. 

"America" was then sung by the en- 
tire audience. 



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LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



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